Tawny Mertes: Reviews





	Wit (February-March 2010) Actors Co-op Theatre, Hollywood, CA “GO - Tawny Mertes is especially winning as the kind young nurse whose personableness and humanity impart the play's final message.” – DEBORAH KLUGMAN, LA Weekly “CRITIC’S PICK - As the willing but slightly goofy nurse in charge of Dr. Bearing's care, Tawny Mertes seems authentic enough to transfer to any major hospital tomorrow.” – MADELEINE SHANER, Backstage West “WOW! - Tawny Mertes’ work as Laura in The Glass Menagerie and Audrey in Leading Ladies has proven her versatility in both drama and comedy. Here she brings her innate sweetness and girl-next-door quality to the role of Nurse Susie Monahan, Wit’s voice of reason and humanity. Though the role is peripheral in early scenes, later when Susie counsels Vivian on the need to decide what will be done should her heart stop beating, Mertes turns teacher to Vivian’s pupil, and subsequently, when Susie goes into attack mode as a small army of hospital doctors and technicians attempt to resuscitate Vivian against her will, she becomes a tigress defending her endangered cub, all of this to stunning effect.” – STEVEN STANLEY, Stage Scene LA



	Leading Ladies (October-November 2008) Actors Co-op Theatre, Hollywood, CA “Mertes is very funny as the blithely positive Audrey, with her Brando impression as a particular highlight.” – TERRY MORGAN, Variety “WOW - The pair receive terrific support from Tawny Mertes (scrumptiously scatterbrained as Audrey)” – STEVEN STANLEY, Stage Scene LA “… and Audrey, an effervescent, roller-skating college student… Tawny Mertes play ideal foils and love interests to our pair of gender-bending ham sandwiches” – DINK O’NEAL, Backstage West “Tawny Mertes (Audrey) rolled in on skates and a quirky characterization that delighted the audience and provided Leo and Jack with the background for their scam.” – AUDREY M. JACKSON, SoCal.com “CRITIC’S PICK – The outstanding cast make it seem fresh and spontaneous: (including) Tawny Mertes, the cute pixie Audrey.” – DON GRIGWARE, GrigwareTalksTheatre.com



	The Glass Menagerie (May-June 2008) Actors Co-op Theatre, Hollywood, CA “CRITIC’S CHOICE - The quaver in Tawny Mertes' voice suggests that Tom's sister, Laura, always second-guesses herself… The four performances are subtle yet powerful.” – DARYL H. MILLER, LA Times “GO - Who’d have guessed that the image of a tiny glass unicorn, and the severing of its horn, could still pack such an emotional punch in Tennessee Williams’ early dating play. Or the sight of shy, homely Laura (Tawny Mertes) blowing out candles one by one can still come attached to such devastating symbolism for her future… Mertes’ shell-shocked Laura comes with layers of sensitivity, and the scene with her one “gentleman caller” — on which Amanda pins all hope for Laura’s future — is just perfect, thanks largely to Stephen Van Dorn’s sweet, cavalier guest, Jim, who arouses such false hope in Laura, beautifully transmitted by Mertes. ‘I am often disappointed,’ says Jim, ‘but I’m never discouraged’ — right before he breaks Laura’s heart.” - STEVEN LEIGH MORRIS, LA Weekly “WOW! - Tawny Mertes, as Laura, is not the plain Jane actress that often gets cast as Laura, nor should she be… Mertes brings out all of Laura's delicacy. Unlike Tom, Mertes' Laura seems to live vicariously through her mother's memories, and her face lights up whenever Amanda recalls her gentlemen callers of years past. Ideally, the actress playing Laura could have the role of Amanda in her future. Mertes is such an actress.” – STEVEN STANLEY, Stage Scene LA “The Glass Menagerie Spotlights Tennessee Williams At His Very Best” - But the perilous part is Laura. We are gifted to have Tawny Mertes as we come to the legendary Gentleman Caller scene; a staple in acting classes I have always yawned through. Here it was absolutely free from imperfection with Mertes and Stephen Van Dorn as Jim O’Conner. Mertes from the opening scenes artfully supplies that fragile I’m-a-resolved-loser psyche, with a limp and a vocal tone just shy of inaudible. She is the only character who actually dares to change… In all my years of theatre I have never seen fear – nay, terror-panic, and then pleasure, in one pristine moment as played by Mertes and Van Dorn during that kiss. Laura, glowingly, unfortunately has an ephemeral epiphany.” – JAMES METROPOLE, The Beverly Hills Courier



	Jules (January-February 2007) Promenade Playhouse, Santa Monica, CA “Watching Jules’ best friend Cindy (Tawny Mertes) contort her face into a variety of fascinating facial expressions was just as entertaining a feeling as though you had accidentally walked into someone’s room during some of the steamier make-out scenes.” – LAUREN EVANS, UCLA Daily Bruin



	The Shape of Things (August 2006) The Complex Theatre, Hollywood, CA “Mertes' sweet Jenny ties everything to some kind of a normalcy.” – DAVE DEPINO, Backstage West “RAVE - I don't know what's not to like about Tawny Mertes as Phillips put-upon fiance.” – GARY CHESTERFIELD, LA Times CalenderLive.com “RAVE - All performers were outstanding especially the actress playing the role of Jenny (Tawny Mertes).” – SUE FREITAG, LA Times CalenderLive.com